Aboard the Hope Express

Nasrin is 20 She does not remember her father, a heroin addict and drug dealer who abandoned her and her mother when she was only three years old. The step-father who replaced him continuously abused her. Nasrin left home at the age of 14 and was moved from one Behzisti (local authority) home to another until she found a safe haven at Omid-e-Mehr.   Due to years of abuse, neglect and emotional trauma She was extremely angry and destructive when she first came to Omid-e-Mehr.  But having received the proper psychological and emotional care, while given a chance to educate and broaden her mind she has been able to dramatically turn her life around. She has finished high school, is attending university preparatory classes, and is determined to make a career for herself as a lawyer. Nasrin has been reunited with her brother and grandmother, and is now also a regular visitor at her mother’s house.

Monir is 17 she has two brothers; a younger and older one. Monir’s mother is a drug addict. When her parents divorced, Monir was kicked out of the parental home. She then lived in Behzisti (local authority) accommodation until she was 16, when she was forced to leave because of her age.   Stranded at such a young age  with no money and no where to go, she had no means of supporting herself or renting a room. Left with no other choice she had to turn to her father and brothers who themselves were homeless and in no better predicament.   Her father a  poor  shoe maker, could barely provide enough for his family to eat.  Unable to rent a place, they all  had to sleep in the shop where her father worked. With Omid-e-Mehr's help, the family has now found an affordable flat. Monir is continuing her training at Omid-e-Mehr, while mentoring other young children in creative writing in downtown Tehran.

"I didn't know what the word Hope meant before"

Mehri is 17 She has never known her parents and has been placed in Behzisti (local authority) care since infancy. Mehri was an extremely fragile young woman when she first arrived at Omid-e-Mehr in 2004. She was depressed, shy, introverted and using drugs. For a long time she attended lessons only irregularly, and spent much of her time sleeping. An orphan all her life, she felt worthless as if she meant nothing to anyone.  Today, Mehri is no longer taking drugs and is rapidly turning into a self-confident and vibrant young woman. She has completed her training at Omid-e-Mehr and is embarking upon a career as a beautician. She retains the passion for photography and painting that she developed while at Omid-e-Mehr.

Despite their past difficulties, and the obstacles still facing them, these young women have dreams. They yearn to participate in life, and to make meaningful contributions to the world around them.  Each contribution, no matter how small directly improves the lives of these underprivileged young women in some vital way and Omid-e-Mehr value each and every donation. Donate Now

Helping women stay engaged in society

The Omid-e-Mehr Foundation began in 2004 as a privately-funded charity to provide emotional and practical support for severely disadvantaged young women in Tehran. These are women who are faced with relentless emotional and financial deprivation. They are desperately vulnerable to anti-social influences, and struggle to remain engaged in society....to learn more click here

Leila's Story

As many of you know I spent the last year in Iran working at Omid-e-Mehr an organization who gives deserving young women a chance to a new life.  Bellow is the incredible story of one the young girls who has changed my life.
At age 9, her family sold her to a man who forced her into prostitution. At 18, she was arrested and sentenced to death for adultery, while her pimp only paid a fine.

In Iran, women can drive, vote and own property. They also can be legally independent from male relatives -- a status that is rare in the rest of the region, where the male-dominant tenets of Islam and tribal culture often subjugate women.
Yet Iran's legal system also codifies traditions that confer second-class status for women. A woman's testimony in court is worth half that of a man's. A girl is considered an adult under the law at age 9, but the age for boys is 13. The laws also deny women equal rights in divorce, custody and inheritance.

But Layla's story -- a young woman forced into prostitution and condemned to death for it -- is extraordinary in how it turned out.
Her fate changed when Ms. Sadr, a crusading lawyer on women's rights in Iran, walked into her cell and saved her. Layla's ruddy face carries an easy smile, and the sparkle in her eyes offers no hint of the harshness of her past.
"When I was little, I didn't have any dreams for my life," said Layla. "All my life, people hurt me ... until Shadi came. Now, each day is better than the last."

Today Leila is 22. She is being taken care of at Omid-e-Mehr Foundation  in Tehran. A beacon of light on a landscape which offers compassion to abused and destitute young women. Omid-e-Mehr is a rarity in Iran because it provides a way for girls to escape the shackles of their past and not be defined by it.
Social workers are teaching Layla to read and do math. She gets to draw and paint with her friends. She goes on field trips to the mountains outside Tehran, and to see a movie once a week. Most of all, she feels safe to dream about the future she wants — about finding love and starting a real family.
"It's difficult to be a girl in Iran. You survive by learning to tolerate what life brings you. That was what my life was like in the past," said Layla. "Now I dream about making myself happy, about having the whole world brought to me on a silver platter."
 
Click here to listen as Leila tells you her story

Omid-e-Mehr has saved Leila and 140 other deserving young women with similar stories.  They will only be able to thrive and to continue with their work by the generosity of other people and their belief in Omid-e-Mehr’s capacity to change these girl’s lives.

You can help make a difference click here to learn more about how you can get involved

The Glass House

The fringes of Iranian society can be a lonely place, especially if you are a teenage girl with few resources to fall back on. The Glass House follows four girls striving to pull themselves out of the margins by attending a one-of-kind rehabilitation center Omid-e-Mehr in uptown Tehran.
Forget about the Iran that you’ve seen before.
The Directors Hamid Rahmanian and Melissa Hibbard takes you deep into the lives of these four girls as they courageously tell their stories while they struggle for their uncertain futures. It is the untold story of young women who have been cast aside by their society. They have been abandoned, abused and neglected by their country and their families. With no resources, they had no hope of ever improving their lives, until they come to Omid-e-Mehr.
With a virtually invisible camera, the girls of The Glass House take us on a never-before-seen tour of the underclass of Iran with their brave and defiant stories; Samira struggles to overcome forced drug addiction; Mitra harnesses abandonment into her creative writing; Sussan teeters on a dangerous ledge after years of sexual abuse; and Nazila burgeons out of her hatred with her blazing rap music. This groundbreaking documentary reflects a side of Iran few have access to or paid attention to: a society lost to its traditions with nothing meaningful to replace them and a group of courageous women working to instill a sense of empowerment and hope into the minds and lives of otherwise discarded teenage girls.

For more information about Omid-e-Mehr or how to get involved click here 

To learn more about the movie or how to purchase the Glass House go to  http://www.fictionvillestudio.com/